


cheers

by googoojeu (itsnotgillian)



Series: parallels [1]
Category: Golden Child (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M, Underage Drinking, just teenagers being teenagers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-08 04:03:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12246612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsnotgillian/pseuds/googoojeu
Summary: Somehow, Bomin already knew that him and Donghyun would never happen, anyway.





	cheers

**Author's Note:**

> this started out as my mini contribution to the dongmin angst movement on twitter, but it blossomed into the wonderful train wreck it currently is <3

Bomin knows he shouldn’t be here.

He isn’t old enough to drink, his mom would probably kill him if she found out he was out this late, and he wasn’t even formally invited, only dragged along by a pleading Jaehyun who promised a lot of things such as _‘it’s gonna be fun, I swear!’_ and _‘other people from your grade will be there!'_

Bomin had every right to walk right back out the front door.

But he didn’t.

Because the moment he stepped over the threshold, his eyes landed right on Donghyun’s dancing figure.

_Of course he’d be here. This is Joochan’s party, after all._

Jaehyun pulls Bomin along to where Donghyun is, and Bomin is convinced he’s ready to pass out.

“Do you drink?” Jaehyun yells the question into Bomin’s ear as they walk, Jaehyun’s voice competing against the loud music pumping through the house speakers.

Bomin blinks at Jaehyun, and before he could even answer, Jaehyun’s already shaking his head.

“Of course you don’t,” Jaehyun concludes, laughing. “You should, though. Stay here and I’ll get us something to drink.”

Bomin starts to protest with the intent to run after Jaehyun, but he’s unfamiliar with the place, and he doesn’t want to look like a complete loser wandering around a party alone.

Bomin turns and he’s met with Donghyun’s beaming face. Bomin’s heart immediately skips a beat, his hands simultaneously clamming up.

Joochan’s blond head pops into Bomin’s line of vision, and it sends a prick to Bomin’s chest. Joochan leans close to Donghyun, halting his dancing for a moment, whispering something in Donghyun’s ear that makes him laugh.

At that moment, Bomin can feel the prick turn into a sharp stab.

Joochan’s eyes flit to where Bomin is standing, the older’s face lighting up at the sight of him.

“Bomin! I didn’t expect you to come,” Joochan greets, patting Bomin on the shoulder, steering him closer to where Donghyun is.

_Well, for starters, you never bothered to invite me._

“Sorry for intruding,” Bomin says apologetically. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

Joochan smiles. “You’re not intruding, don’t worry. And, thank you!”

“Hey, Bomin,” Donghyun says, offering Bomin a half smile as he acknowledges the younger’s presence.

“Hi,” Bomin replies, unable to maintain any eye contact.

“I should get you a drink,” Joochan suddenly chimes in, elbowing Bomin good-naturedly.

“No need,” a voice speaks up. “I got that covered.”

Bomin whips his head around and sees Jaehyun approaching with two bottles in each of his hand. Jaehyun shoves one into Bomin’s grasp and winks.

“It’s just beer. You’ll be fine,” Jaehyun reassures.

At that moment, two other figures saunter towards the group.

“What are you doing here? You’re, like, twelve,” Jangjun teases, stopping right in front of Bomin before lightly punching his shoulder. The others laugh along, each of them giving Bomin a playful pat on the back.

Bomin regards Jangjun with a playful roll of his eyes.

“Nice to see you, too, hyung,” Bomin greets. “Hi, Daeyeol-hyung,” Bomin smiles up shyly at the other half of the newly-arrived pair, cheeks flaring up in embarrassment as he realizes he’s been caught by a respected upperclassman with alcohol in his underaged hands.

“Careful,” Daeyeol gives Bomin a pointed look.

“Relax, hyung, he’ll be alright. Won’t you, Bomin?” Jangjun says, giving Bomin a thumbs-up.

Bomin nods, unsure of what else to reply. He looks over to where Donghyun is supposed to be standing, but it seems like he’s disappeared.

“Thanks for the concern, hyung,” Bomin says distractedly before grabbing Jaehyun’s arm and steering them away from their hyungs’ supervision.

“Donghyun’s in the living room, just in case you were wondering, which you clearly are,” Jaehyun informs as he looks at Bomin knowingly. “He heard there was a dance battle going on, so he wanted to check it out.”

Bomin nods again, pulling Jaehyun along towards the direction of the living room, but Jaehyun wiggles out of his grasp.

“I have to go find Jibeom,” Jaehyun explains, already backing away. Bomin starts to protest, but Jaehyun cuts him off.

“A big boy like you needs to learn how to flirt independently,” Jaehyun jokes. “Go ahead, I’ll catch up.”

Before Bomin could say anything else, Jaehyun runs off, getting lost in the middle of the immense crowd. It amazes Bomin just how many people can fit in Joochan’s house.

Bomin turns a corner and immediately takes notice of the people crowding around what could only be the middle of the living room. It takes a moment for Bomin to realize that this must be the dance battle Jaehyun mentioned.

“Donghyun! Donghyun! Donghyun!”

The crowd chants Donghyun’s name, and Bomin’s heart instantly soars. He approaches the crowd and tries to sneak past people to get a better look at Donghyun.

Finally, Bomin gets a glimpse of him. He’s not even surprised at what he sees.

As always, Kim Donghyun is shining like the superstar that he is.

It doesn’t register soon enough in Bomin’s mind that he’s in the middle of the circle now, right in front of Donghyun; he can see every turn, every step, and every move Donghyun is making.

Bomin could only stare in awe.

Bomin is pushed forward, and for a moment, he panics. The people behind him are egging him on. Bomin looks around in confusion for a few seconds before he realizes that he’s being asked to “battle” with Donghyun.

He couldn’t. He _wouldn’t_.

Donghyun sees him and smiles.

“Come on,” Donghyun mouths. He’s not threatening Bomin. He’s encouraging him.

Bomin’s heart rate is speeding up, and in the midst of it all, he spots Daeyeol behind Donghyun, eyeing him worriedly.

Bomin shakes his head and in what he considers as an act of defiance and bravery, he brings the bottle he’s still holding up to his lips and takes a huge swig of the beer inside. It’s bitter, and he’s not used to it, so it burns just a little. Bomin hands the bottle to a random person behind him before he steps up to let the music take him away.

Bomin isn’t thinking anymore. He’s just enjoying himself, watching with bated breath at how Donghyun reacts to his every move. It sends electric shocks through his body when Donghyun hollers and applauds every time Bomin does a particularly impressive dance step.

The crowd is cheering Bomin’s name this time, and they’re all pressing closer to him, the space in the middle growing smaller and smaller. Someone bumps against Bomin’s back, and he’s propelled forward, his balance lost momentarily.

A pair of arms catches him just in time, and Bomin hurries to steady himself, his hands clutching on to the other person’s shoulders for support.

Bomin looks up and his eyes immediately widen.

It was Donghyun that caught him.

“Hey, are you okay?” Donghyun asks.

“Yeah,” Bomin breathes, grinning down at Donghyun.

Donghyun returns his smile before continuing. “You were great. I didn’t know you had that in you,” Donghyun praises, and Bomin is just about ready to cry out of happiness.

Before Bomin could thank him, though, Joochan appears behind Donghyun and starts pulling him away.

“Someone suggested body shots,” Joochan singsongs while wiggling his eyebrows. “And yours truly volunteered. I’m giving you the honor of taking the first shot off of me.”

Bomin watches as Donghyun playfully hits Joochan’s chest, eventually agreeing to what Joochan is suggesting, before walking off, Donghyun’s hand resting comfortably on Joochan’s waist.

The adrenaline seeps out of Bomin’s body, and he’s left there standing alone, drained and exhausted.

“Hey!” Bomin hears Jaehyun’s voice call out from behind him. Bomin turns and watches as Jaehyun approaches him, an obviously drunk Jibeom hanging on to Jaehyun’s arm.

Bomin eyes the two red cups in Jaehyun’s hand before grabbing one of them and downing the contents in just a few seconds. Bomin splutters as his throat starts to burn, but he’s determined to keep the alcohol down.

“Woah, did something happen?” Jaehyun questions, regarding Bomin with a hint of amusement.

“The baby’s all grown up!” Jibeom cheers, swaying dangerously on his feet. Jaehyun wraps an arm around Jibeom’s waist to steady him before turning back to Bomin.

“Seriously, what happened?” Jaehyun asks again. Bomin simply shakes his head and pushes past Jaehyun.

“The kitchen is to your left!” Jibeom calls out, voice slurring around the edges. “That’s where all the good stuff is.”

“Got it,” Bomin shoots his reply over his shoulder before heading towards where Jibeom said the kitchen would be.

After about a minute or so of trying to push past the other partygoers, Bomin finally finds the narrow doorway to the kitchen. He enters and is instantly greeted by the sight of Joochan sitting on the counter, alone, a bottle in his hand.

“Oh, hey,” Joochan greets. “Come to get a drink?”

“Yeah,” Bomin replies curtly. In all honesty, he’s clueless about what he wants to get exactly, his eyes skimming over the numerous bottles lined up on the countertop next to Joochan.

Joochan snickers. “Let me,” Joochan volunteers.

Joochan plucks a clean red cup from a stack of other red cups before reaching for a bottle of clear liquid and pouring it in. Bomin observes Joochan’s every move, from how he adds a little bit of juice to the cup to sprinkling a little bit of some other liquor into the mix. Finally, Joochan hands the cup to Bomin.

“You’re not trying to poison me, right?” Bomin half-jokes. Joochan chuckles and shakes his head.

“It’s not you I want to poison,” Joochan declares. Bomin raises an eyebrow at this.

“Oh?”

Joochan nods, leaning back onto his hands, letting out a long breath as he studies the ceiling.

“Who is it, then?” Bomin prods, taking a sip of the concoction Joochan made. It’s surprisingly sweet and definitely not as strong as what Jaehyun brought him earlier.

“Donghyun,” Joochan answers.

Bomin nearly chokes on his drink as he hears Joochan’s reply.

“Why?” Bomin demands.

Joochan looks straight at Bomin’s eyes, and Bomin can see sadness mixed in with the bleary drunkenness of Joochan’s brown irises.

“You like him, right? You should know why,” Joochan says simply. The sudden statement takes Bomin aback and a few moments pass before Bomin could formulate a coherent sentence.

“I-I like him, but that doesn’t mean I know the reason why you want to poison him,” Bomin reasons.

“Well, Bomin,” Joochan begins. “I like him, too, if that wasn’t obvious enough. But, the thing is, I’m never really sure about whether he likes me back.”

“The signs are there, but, it’s never enough,” Joochan continues. He pauses for a second to study Bomin’s face. Bomin stares back, not knowing what to say.

“Sorry,” Joochan apologizes. “It’s a bit insensitive of me to be discussing this with you, isn’t it?”

Bomin shakes his head. “It’s fine. I get what you mean.”

“At least, you get to hold on to a little bit of hope,” Bomin continues, carrying his words out carefully. “Who knows? He might really like you back. I mean, he _did_ take that body shot off of you, right?”

Joochan laughs. “Yeah, he did. And about three other people.”

“But he went first,” Bomin reminds.

“I told him to go first,” Joochan states matter-of-factly.

“I’m pretty sure he wanted to go first, either way,” Bomin insists. He doesn’t know why he’s doing this. He’s practically rooting for Donghyun to end up with somebody else other than him. But, somehow, Bomin already knew that him and Donghyun would never happen, anyway.

Joochan’s face settles into a wistful smile.

“Thanks for coming tonight, Bomin,” Joochan says, holding his bottle out in front of him. "And cheers to our unreturned feelings."

Bomin sighs and bumps his cup against Joochan’s bottle.

“Cheers.”

**Author's Note:**

> come say hello on my [twitter](http://twitter.com/antimaknaes)


End file.
